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January 21, 2020 Board Meeting Minutes

MOKSACVPR Board Meeting

January 21, 2020

Attendees: 

  • Sandy Abbott, Carolyn Beard, Amy Choitz, Leann Dickson, Debbie Dorshorst, Tiffanie Holman, Tedd Walsh, Tricia Walsh

Proceedings:

Meeting called to order at 0700 by Tedd Walsh

December 2019 meeting minutes approved 

NEW BUSINESS

Committee Reports:

  • Treasurer’s Report–Tricia Walsh
  • Financial Report:  
    • Bank reports: Savings-$14,013.01 Checking–$12,727.27
  • Education –Tricia Walsh
  • Speakers
    • Dawnie’s speaker is unavailable.  Moving Karen Lui and Susan Flack to Friday evening.  
    • PowerPoints due 1 week before conference
    • Need speaker’s presentation title for printing agenda
    • Carolyn is checking on application deadline dates for CEU’s.  Will need speaker objectives before applying. 
  • Vendors
    • We could use a few more vendors.  If you have any contacts, please send to Carolyn / Sonny
    • If you reach out to a vendor, cc. Sonny on email
  • Communications—Tedd Walsh
    • No updates
  • Website – Amy Choitz 
    • Conference registration is live. Board members need to register and select “pay by check”.
    • Looking at using google to provide surveys and distribute certificates
    • New payment system in effect
  • Standards & Issues – Leann Dickson / Debbie Dorshorst
    • Day on the Hill
      • March 2-3, 2020
      • Rooms are non-refundable.  Debbie and Leann will attend.
      • Issues: 

U.S. HOUSE BILL #, HR 4838     

Many AACVPR members have been diligently requesting this of Congress for the past two years. This bill will exempt certain hospital outpatient services from a drastic reimbursement reduction that are based solely on the location of the hospital outpatient service. As the Legislative Priority explains in depth, the SOS: Sustaining Outpatient Services Act mandates implementation of regulations that create specific financial thresholds. As long as no physician specialty, nationwide, bills for any CPT or HCPCS code under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule in an aggregate amount greater than $2 million in the previous year for which data are available, that code (or codes) would be exempt from reduced reimbursement requirements for off-campus outpatient services. Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services are in this category and, therefore, would be included in the exemption. 

Currently, hospitals that choose to expand or relocate (beyond the 250-yard threshold) CR/PR services must bill at the physician fee schedule rate, thereby creating a very strong disincentive for hospitals to improve access to PR/CR services. (A very limited number of exceptions to this exist.)

CMS recognizes this reality as an “unintended consequence” of Section 603, but the Agency states it has no authority to address our problem. It will take legislation to correct this barrier to expanded patient access to these beneficial services.

HR 3911-Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2019 will allow nonphysician practitioners (PA, NP, CNS) to: 

  1.  Meet the direct physician supervision requirement for CR and PR at an earlier date (TBD) than the current 1/2024 date of implementation, previously established with passage of the ACCESS Act in 2018.
  2. Independently order CR and PR services.

AACVPR supports and joins AHA, ACC, and all partner professional organizations in promoting this bill.

  • Nominations—Amy Choitz
    • 2020 positions
  • KS Member at Large
  • Secretary
  • President Elect
  • Treasurer—1-year mentoring with Tricia before taking over
  • Certification—Carolyn Beard
    • Opened December 1-February 29

OLD BUSINESS

  • Strategic Planning
    • Strategic / Board Meeting: February 21, 2020, 1100 at Graceland University

Board meeting:  February 11, 2020 at 7am

Education meeting:  February 3, 2019 at 12pm

Minutes submitted by Tiffanie Holman